Television series
Expedition X
- Supernatural mystery
- Treasure hunt
- Dip in and out
Expedition X sends Josh Gates and paranormal researchers into remote locations hunting cryptids, supernatural phenomena, and unexplained mysteries. It's energetic adventure television with genuine ambition—the team travels properly and asks real questions—but trades skepticism for spectacle. For people who love the hunt more than the answers, who enjoy campfire stories with a production budget.
Should you watch it?
Watch it if you enjoy a light, curious investigation format where a host tramples through jungles and caves chasing folklore, and you are happy to let the question of whether anything is real stay open and unresolved.
Skip it if you want rigorous evidence or a sober, science-first account, since the show leans into spooky atmosphere and campfire-style speculation more than hard proof.
What it asks of you: Expect hour-long episodes that move in a steady, chatty rhythm, with plenty of location footage and a playful tone that stays mostly lighthearted rather than frightening.
Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.
If you liked this
In Search of Monsters2019
Colin Salmon investigates cryptid legends with archaeological rigor and travel-show charm. Each episode chases one creature myth across actual locations, blending folklore research with modern exploration in ways that feel earned.
But The tone is more measured than Expedition X—less shouts of discovery, more patient investigation. If you want constant escalation, this will feel slow.
The Curse of Oak Island2014
Treasure hunters return year after year to one island, obsessively pursuing geological clues and historical documents. The real appeal is watching smart people fail hopefully and recalibrate. It's the opposite of flash.
But The search never concludes. After several seasons you may feel stranded there too. Episodes are repetitive by design—each season tests the same theories differently.
Expedition Unknown2015
Josh Gates' other show, but smarter: he chases historical mysteries (lost temples, shipwrecks, ancient sites) with archaeologists and locals. The investigation feels grounded because it engages actual scholarship.
But It's less about the supernatural and more about confirmation. If you watch Expedition X for the ghostly frisson, this lacks that electric-shock quality.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Expedition X
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
The OA2016
Both assert that extraordinary things are happening in the actual world, waiting to be found. But where Expedition X treats the mystery as content, The OA treats it as ontology—real and transformative rather than entertaining.
A blind woman returns with sight and cryptic knowledge of parallel dimensions. Netflix series that treats the supernatural as real and urgent, not curiosity. Genuinely strange, visually inventive, commits fully to its own mythology without winking.
But Only two seasons before cancellation, ending unresolved. Plot is baroque and sometimes incoherent. Audience is divided—people either adore it or find it pretentious.
More like this (4)
Chasing Monsters2015
Adventurer Casey Bishop hunts cryptids across jungles and swamps with field researchers. Tighter focus than Expedition X—each episode is one animal, one place—and the team has genuine expertise in zoology and tracking.
But It only ran two seasons. Also less theatrical than what you're watching; the energy is professional rather than adrenaline-fueled.
Mountain Monsters2013
A team of experienced hunters and engineers build traps to catch legendary creatures. There's real craft in the trap-building and legitimate wilderness skill. The obsession is infectious, even if the premise is preposterous.
But Episodes stretch thin—you watch a lot of planning for speculative payoff. The creature encounters, when they come, are almost always ambiguous.
Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction1997
Jonathan Frakes presents five strange-but-true stories per episode and you guess which are real. It's snappy anthology television with period charm and genuine ingenuity in the storytelling. Pure fun.
But The mystery is resolved by episode end with zero investigation—just dramatic reading. It's closer to campfire stories than expedition television. Feels dated now.
Lore2017
Aaron Mahnke adapts his podcast about the history behind folklore and supernatural myths. Visually inventive, historically grounded, it explains why humans believe in cryptids rather than hunting them.
But It's academic where Expedition X is visceral. You get context instead of adventure. Some episodes are slow and essayistic.
